Push local produce to cruise liner passengers

I believe that tourism in Guernsey is dead as a business and no more time should be passed or certainly no tax cash expended on advertising or planning. If the hospitality industry wishes to have a plan then let them pay for everything – nothing to do with the States of Guernsey or myself as a taxpayer. They also employ very few Guernsey people so are a loss to our island.

Here’s a better solution:

About 80 cruise ships visit Guernsey every year and thousands of travellers pour off the ships and generate small island wealth without any advertising at all – they just visit and are an unloved financial gift to the island. I do not know the exact number but say 3,000 people enter Guernsey from each cruise ship which gives about 240,000 visitors each year.

During the visits by the cruise ships, Guernsey sets up a temporary posh-looking large area on the Albert Pier with quality Guernsey goods – not junk brought in from China. These could include say, 10 investment company booths to give advice and take orders on investing in Guernsey financial companies and indeed to take real orders from passengers of any country. Please do not tell me there are legal issues – go solve these issues.

This could also include:

l Sales of quality Guernsey sweaters; many colours and many sizes.

l Specsavers eye-testing and ordering with spectacles delivered to the passengers homes or indeed good-enough spectacles supplied there and then – people lose spectacles while on cruises.

l Catherine Best with superb jewellery - there are wealthy people on cruises.

l Guernsey gifts for grandchildren – a range of toy puffins and toy Guernsey cows – just those clearly identified with Guernsey – would sell like hot cakes as many passengers are indeed grannies and grandpas – and delivered directly to the addresses of grandchildren supplied by the passengers.

l Guernsey Wheadon’s Gin – not a whole range of alcohols but focused drinks with a range of gin cocktails.

l If its raining, a series of posh yachting-type yellow and coloured raincoats.

l Dried Guernsey full cream milk in tins – yet to be developed.

l Art showing Guernsey scenes – shipped to customers' homes.

l Coach visits for three hours to the Guernsey golf courses where a multitude of golf games are pre-booked and played. A large golfing putting green for unskilled golfers from the cruise ship.

l A dinghy float-around/lessons on the Model Yacht Pond for cruise ship children accompanied by parents.

l A quality shop for jewellery.

l A range of newspapers.

l Broadband internet access only inside the shop groupings.

All the preparation and installation should be paid for by companies who use the Albert Pier, not from States taxes. The above is real income for Guernsey.

Rex Ferbrache